The Psychology Of Packaging: Why We Choose Certain Products Over Others

It may sound slightly ridiculous, but the packaging that the products we buy are presented in is a major determining factor in why we buy them.

We may think that this is untrue and that we buy the products because we like them and are only exercising our own free will, but in actual fact the packaging has a lot to do with that positive perception.

There are a number of features of product packaging that affect our buying psychology as customers. Just a few of them are below.

Colour

Colour is one of the most obvious features on the packaging of products and it greatly affects our perception of products. Colours reflect the target market of products and as a result we, as consumers, buy products that we feel reflect our needs.

If we take children as a group it becomes easy to see how colour affects they way products are chosen. If you walk down a sweet and confectionery aisle in a super market the shelves are stocked from top to bottom with all every colour imaginable.

Bright colours attract the attention of children, the addition of a catchy name like ‘Skittles’ or ‘Starburst’ is likely to trigger a child’s imagination. Parents are likely to want to keep their child happy and will buy one of these products.

If the child and the parents have a positive experience with the product they are likely to but it again, benefiting the producing company.

In the same way, certain colours are associated with lifestyles and can reflect moods. For example, green has long been associated with health products and healthy living. Products that have a significant amount of green on their packaging are likely to be aiming at attracting those wanting a healthy lifestyle.

Textures

To many people the way something feels reflects its quality. With expensive products, consumers want the packaging to reflect the quality of the product in every way possible.

What many organisations seek to do with the texture of their packaging, as well as it’s shape, is to make something that feels very familiar to the customer whilst simultaneously feeling different to other products in the market. It is a difficult balance to try and find.

Shape

The shape of a products packaging can play an important role in the decisions made by customers. Much the same as textures, customers want to experience something new without the packaging, and the product, feeling alien to them.

Toblerone is a good example. The shape of their products packaging is interesting, it takes a different shape to all other products in its sector. It makes you want to pick up the product to feel what it’s like, almost because we, as consumers, are conditioned to rectangular and square packaging because of its abundance in every sector of the market.

Other products use shape to their advantage. Energy drink cans tend to be taller and thinner than other drinks cans in an attempt to reflect an aspect of healthier living. It also means that, because of their reduced width, more cans could be placed on supermarket shelves, increasing their presence to customers and making them more likely to be seen by potential customers.

Shape, texture and colour are all highly important in the world of packaging and getting it right can see products become highly popular. The thought processes of customers are well understood by companies and indeed, many customers make decisions about the products they buy based on these factors without even knowing it.

If you think that there are other aspects of packaging that affect the decisions made by consumers then why not leave them in the comment box.

People will almost certainly be interested to hear why they buy the products they do!

Chris is a writer who is fascinated by the fact that a products packaging greatly affects our perception of a product. He recommends Payne Security.

Featured images: License: Creative Commons image source

Bio
Latest Posts

Jeremy

Business Analyst and Local Business Marketer. Practical Brand Advisor. Co-founder & Admin at The Local Brand. Writes about marketing and investment. Motorcycle enthusiast and likes to travel.